COLUMBIA, S.C. - Arkansas coach Stan Heath avoided putting the label on the Auburn game after his team lost in overtime to LSU.

He knew better than to place it on the Razorbacks' game with No. 6 Kentucky.

There's no avoiding it now as Arkansas (14-6, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) reaches the halfway point of its SEC season tonight at South Carolina (11-7, 3-4) in the Colonial Center.

It's a must-win.

"They're all must-win games," Heath said of the Razorbacks' remaining nine regular season games as they try to make the NCAA Tournament field.

"They're all very, very important games." South Carolina coach Dave Odom didn't use the "must-win" label from his team's perspective, but he may as well have before his team plays the Razorbacks, who he called "the best young team in this league."

"I can truthfully tell you we have not played a more important game this year," Odom said. "We need this one badly."

South Carolina will try to avoid its first consecutive losses of the season while Arkansas will attempt to earn its first quality victory of the SEC season and end the league's worst current road losing streak at 12 games.

Odom announced Tuesday that suspended players Antoine Tisby and Josh Gonner will suit up tonight but are not guaranteed to play.

Tisby, a 6-foot-8, 228-pound junior forward who averages 3.9 rebounds and 4.5 points per game, was not allowed to travel to Florida for Saturday's game, an 80-72 loss to the Gators.

Gonner, a 6-2 senior guard fourth on the team in scoring (8.4 ppg) and leading in 3-pointers (23), had a conflict with the coaching staff at halftime in Gainesville and didn't play the second half.

Both had previously been suspended this season, Tisby for repeated tardiness and Gonner for another issue with the coaching staff after its win against South Carolina State on Dec. 20.

While disputing printed accounts of what led to them, Odom would not disclose the reasons behind the suspensions and called the incidents a "team matter."

"There's no argument that if Antoine Tisby plays to the height of his ability, and all other things are equal, our team will be better," Odom said. "There is no argument that when Josh Gonner plays the way he's capable of playing and nothing else mitigates that, our team is better.

"But I will also tell you, the reverse of that is true as well. When they do anything else to detract, our team loses. So the challenge I have is to try to serve both."

Dwayne Day, a 6-6, 185-pound freshman forward, scored all 14 of his points in a three-minute stretch against Florida and could see his role expand with Tisby's minutes curtailed.

Odom said little-used 6-10 senior John Chappell could see more than his usual 8.3 minutes of action against the bigger and deeper Razorbacks tonight.

Arkansas freshman forward Charles Thomas will start for the first time in three games in place of the injured Jones.

Sophomore Ronnie Brewer, who ranks in the top 10 in five SEC statistical categories and leads the league in steals (3.1 per game) may be slightly limited after turning his left ankle with nearly 11 minutes to play against Kentucky.

"You have to find him, you have to put your body on him, you have to keep your eyes on him all the time," Odom said of Brewer.

"He wreaks havoc all over the court."

Odom said his team has to control the game defensively against Arkansas and does not want it to become a transition game favoring the Razorbacks.

He compared Arkansas in the open floor to "a jailbreak" and his team's failure to contain a similar onslaught by Florida cost the Gamecocks the game in the final minutes of the first half on Saturday in their 80-72 loss.

Losing home games to No. 11 Alabama and No. 6 Kentucky by a combined four points has Arkansas needing road wins if it has any shot of climbing back to .500 or better in conference play and getting on the tournament bubble.

The Razorbacks' next two-game road slate has dates at always-tough venues Alabama and Vanderbilt on Feb. 16 and 19, respectively, making tonight and Saturday at Ole Miss critical before home games next week against Georgia and LSU.